It's the Little Things : What accessories to bring to your boudoir session
Using boudoir accessories + details to bring out your style and personality in your portraits
Last week, I talked about how to style boudoir portraits to reflect your personality and personal style. I've had a lot of questions about the accessories and little details that you can bring along, so I wanted to flesh out some more information for you here!
This beautiful string of pearls really brings out V's elegant, vintage-inspired boudoir style!
Jewelry
Bring something meaningful to add a layer of personal depth and style to your portraits. A favorite artisan necklace that you bought for yourself, your grandmother's antique pearl bracelet, special wedding jewelry, a meaningful pair of earrings you've received as a gift, or just something that you feel beautiful in!
You don't need to bring jewelry for every outfit, although you can. Especially if you have really visually distinctive jewelry (like a huge string of pearls!), we may only want to include it for some pictures. Feel free to bring more jewelry than you may need as well, and I can help you choose what will photograph the best with your outfits.
Shoes
A lot of boudoir clients don't bring any shoes at all - in fact, going barefoot adds a more natural/candid/relaxed look to your portraits. If that's the aesthetic you're channeling, feel free to skip shoes all together!
You can also bring shoes along to your portraits if you want another way to add in your personal style - especially if you love shoes. Heels will make your style feel more "amped up" or more styled/sexy. Tall heels with a closed toe will make your legs look super long and epic! I generally recommend avoiding shoes with a "chunkier" heel or shoes with an ankle strap, as those can visually shorten your legs.
You can choose shoes in a color to match your lingerie if you want something really bold - otherwise I typically suggest neutral colors (nude, black, or white).
A silk robe offers more coverage for this lacy bodysuit, and also brings a ton of personality with this bold turquoise color!
Robe
Feel free to bring a robe along to your session; it might be nice to have something cozy or fancy to hang out in and relax while you're having your hair/makeup done. You can also use a robe as an extra layer to wrap around a lingerie set if you'd like another way to add more visual texture or if you'd like to have another option to be more covered up.
Bridal details
If you're planning a bridal boudoir session, there are so many beautiful ways to use special wedding/bridal details! It's a great way to use bridal pieces again, and it lets you add more layers of personality and unique style into your portraits. Bring along your veil, your garter, wedding shoes, bridal jewelry, your wedding purse or other accessories, or even your wedding dress!
The black feather fan in V's portrait here is a great detail - it's a pretty bold statement, so we only used it in one or two portraits but it brings a ton of personality and a unique element into her portraits.
Small details that are full of personality
Think about your own personality/style. What do you decorate your home or your master bedroom with? What do you love to wear that feels really true to you? Here are some things I've had clients bring in before:
antique perfume bottle
feathered fan
individual peacock feathers
blanket or mug from home
favorite books
your glasses
hair accessories (headbands, pins)
Looking for more boudoir styling inspiration?
Check out my boudoir inspiration pinterest boards!! To be clear, these boards do not feature my own images - they are inspiration boards that I've curated as a reference or jumping off point for considering the style/aesthetic you'd like your portraits to have. Click on the links below to check out inspiration boards for these four aesthetic styles:
Click here to see my Sexy & Elegant inspiration pinterest board
